Apparatus for filling molds and the like with plastic material



APPARATUS FOR FILLING MOLDS AND THE LIKE WITH PLASTIC MATERIAL 1,597,803 I KEARNEY ET AL Filed August 18, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 31, 1926.

' 1,597,803 A. R. KEARNEY ET AL APPARATUS'FOR FILLING MOLDS AND THE LIKE WITH PLASTIC MATERIAL Filed August 18. 1924 a'sheets-sneet 2 I S i Au 31 1926. 7 1,597,803 A. R. KEARNEY ET AL APPARATUS FOR FILLING MOLDS AND THE LIKE WITH PLASTIC MATERIAL Filed August 18, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 1,597,803 A. R. KEARNEY ET AL Aug. 31

APPARATUS'FOR FILLING MOLDS AND THE LIKE WITH PLASTIC MATERIAL Filed August 18, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug.31 1926.

v 1,597,863 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

AR'llIUR RICHIE KEARNEY AN D CHARLES WILLIAM TAYLOR, or Lennon, aNoLAm).

arraaa'rus ron FILLING MoLDs AND THE LIxn wI'rn rLAs'rIq MATERIAL.

application filed August is, 1924, Serial 110. 732,813, and in Great Britain "August is, 1923.

' This invention relates to apparatus for. filling molds, dies and thelike' with viscous, plastic or semi-fluid material.

More particularly this invention relates to the filling of molds with raw or uncured" rubber.

The ob'ect of the present invention is to produce simple and compact apparatus for filling molds, dies or the like with such viscous, plastic or semi-fluid material which will materially reduce the cost of labour in making the molded articles of such material.

The invention consists in the improve-' ments in the apparatus hereinafter described 1 and more particularly pointed out in the claims. In carrying the invention into effect, the material is-placedl in a hopper or the like which is supplied with means whereby the 2 said material may be forced out of an exit provided at one end. (lo-operating with the exit is provided a member having one or more measuring chambers which are so formed that/the quantity of material contained therein which has been forced outfrom the hopper is the exact amount requiredfor filling into the mold. Said measuring. chamber or chambers are so arranged that they coincide with the entrance to the mold which it is desired to-fill, or are capable of movement when filled so that the register with the entrance to the mol Means. are providedeither in the shape of fluid or mechanical pressure whereby the material forced. into the measuring chamber may be pressed intothe mold. These means are preferably in the form of a plunger, but 7 compressediair or. other fluid may beemployed if desired. J 40 Between the material contained in the chamber and the means for forcing saidma terial into the mold is preferably interposed a" member hereinafter called the mold ram, which is acted upon by the plunger or other means topress the material into said mold.

This mold ram is'made of the same crosssection as the measuring chamber and also the entrance to the mold so that the, said .mold ram can be pressed by means of the 5 lunger or other means through the chamer into the mold, thus pressingthe material so as to completely-fill theinterior of the mold. The mold ram when forced into position in'the mold is locked therein by means ofa catch, spring or. other suitable device.

In, this manner the exact quantity of maof plungers i. The plungers terial is measured from the hopper and is forced into the mold without anyintermediate handling. r a The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show diagrammatically by way of example an apparatus for filling molds; dies or the like with material and in which Figure 1 is an elevation of an apparatus for filling molds showing the measuring chambers mounted upon a rotatable disc;

gigure 2 is a'plan of Figure 1;

1 rotatable disc is replaced by a cylindrical member;

Figure 4 is an elevation showing the measuring chamber mounted in a reciprocating member;

Figure 51s a modification of Figure 3:

having the measuring chamber stationary;

cham er; I v

Figure 7 is a modification of Figure 3 in which a single cylindrical member is used in the place of the two members b and e; and

Figure 8 is a view showing diagrammatically the various operations in an automatic filling apparatus; I I

Referring more especially to Figures 1 and 2, which illustrate one embodiment of the gure 3 is. a modification in which the Figpre 6 is a detail ofthe measuring invention, a hopper a for the material is provided which is mounted so as to register with the four measuring chambers 0 provided in a 'disc-sha ed member I), which is rotatably mounte upon a shaft so that the chamber 0 can be brought into the required position.

Each chamber a is made so that it contains the exact quantity of material for correctly:

forming the article in the mold.

Upon another. rotatably mounted disc member esituated upon an axis parallel to. 1

that of b, are rovided four chambers a similar to those in the disc member 5. Into these chambers a are fed, b any suitable means, mold rams f which cross-section as the chambers "c" and are adapted to be removed therefrom by means i are operated by mechanical means or b pressure. If desired the p ungers i may be dispensed with and, the fluid or other pressure may act directly on the rams f,

Whenthechamber cin thedisc member 6 has been filled with material, the pressure in the hopper is released and the member I) is rotated so that thefilled chamber registers fluid or other .10; ave the same trance to said channel coincides with the with the chamber 0' in the member e which contains a mold ram f. The pressure need not be released if other means are providedso that the material does notescape from the hopper; for instance, the face of the disc member I) may be used for this purpose. This-movement shears or cuts the material clear away from the hopper. On the other side of the disc member I) is mounted a shield member d which acts to prevent the material forced from the hopper a from escaping through the oppositeside of the chamber 0. This member d is stationary. A similar shield member j is provided to prevent the mold rams f from escaping from the chambers a before theyarrive atthe filling position.

Registering with the chamber 0 and the member I) is placed a mold 9 having a channel leading intoits interior so that the enchambers 0 and c so that-when the mold ram f is pressed by the plunger 11, the material t gether with the mold ram f Will be presse into the mold. The mold g .is mounted upon a rotating disc member h which may-be geared with the members 6 and d so that the molds 9 may be brought to coincide with the chambers c, c in the filling position. The member h is provided with locating pieces or spigots m on which the molds g are mounted, the number of,

molds mounted upon the member corresponding to the number of chambers 0'' upon the member 6.

The member d is provided with an aperture so as to allow the material and mold ram to pass therethrough, said hole registering in the filling position with the chambers chambers c in front of the hopper for fill- W ing, the chambers c" for receiving mold rams, and spigots m for receiving vmolds, and subsequently to position the chamber 0, the chamber 0', and the entrance to the molds so that they register in line for fillmg.

The number of chambers in the.disc members b ande are shown the same'in Figures 1 and 2, but any number may be used and .Y may differ for each member-'21s long as the -gearing'is s0 arranged that thefilling of the chambers and the pressing out of the material. therefrom can take place at the same time after every intermittent motion of the said members.

- Similarly the member k can be provided with any number of locating pieces for molds and may be geared so that a mold coincides with the chambers c and 0 aftereach intermittent motion of said disc members.

Alternatively the members 6, e and k may be all independent of one another and separate means, hand ormechaniczilly operated, may be provided for moving them into the variousposit-ions.

The mold ram when pressed into position by the plunger 11 is locked in the said. mold g by means of a spring Z which is secured to the mold ram and springs into a recess Z in themold. Any other pawl or catch arrangement may be employed to lock the ram in position. Thus, for instance, the ram may be provided with a notch in which a spring or the like can be forced or the ram itself may be made hollow and the exterior,

end split or otherwise so that projections integral with said ram may spring into ap propriate recesses.

The cross-section of the mold ram is made to exactly correspond with the cross-section of the channel leading into the mold so that when the mold ram is pressed into position "in the mold no material can escape as the ram is an exact fit in the mold.

The surface of the mold ram which is in contact with the material is made so that its contour coincides With the contour of the interior of the mold, thus forming when in position part of the mold itself.

Should it happenith'at the locking device Z which holds the mold ram f in the mold fails to act, the material compressed in the mold willexpand and push back the mold ram so'that it may project beyond the mold and foul the shield of. In order to overcome this difficulty the mold ram is so arranged that when it is in the locked position its outer end is below the entrance to the mold, thus leaving a safety space 0.

When it is desirable to have the mold ram fiush withthe outside or protruding beyond the mold, the plunger 71 should not be Withdrawn until the mold has been removed from the filling position.

form and may have one or more apertures for inserting articles which it 1s requ red to incorporate in the finished molded article.

The mold ram may be of any shape or The mold ram mayconsist of an article which it is desired to insert permanently into the material so as to become an integral part of the finished molded article.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the measuring. chambers are provided in a cylindrical member I) as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. This member is operated similarly to that in Figures 1 and 2 and registers-first with the hopper a and 20 and member 6 outside.

4 thereby completely secondly with the member and the mold'g,

the member e in this case being" stationary and having its chamber 0' fed either automatically or by hand with a mold ram 7".

-To prevent the material forced into the chamber '45 from passing out through the other side of the chamber 0 a shield at is' provided on the inside of the member I) and on the outside another shield d is provided 10 to prevent the:material on the rotation of the member I) from falling out before reaching the mold g. On the member h is mounted the mold g. This member k may be provided with means whereby the molds can be mounted thereon and moved into the filling position which is shown in Figure 3. Alternatively to the arrangement of the members 'e and h, the. member h may be mounted so as to be inside the member 12- plunger 11 is operatedfro-m the outside of the cylinder to insert the mold ram It is frequently found that the material to be molded, is, as in the case of rub- 2.' her, very tough and difficult to work and it often happens that the chambers a are not completely filled with material when said material is forced from the hopper a as the leading surface of the material takes a convex form; The material thus does not completely fill the chamber and therefore a' sufiicient quantity ofmaterial is not measured off and transferred to the mold.

In order to overcome this difficulty, the

3 shield d shown in Figure 4 is provided with an aperture corresponding to the section of the chamber 0. The material is pressed out of the hopper into the chamber 0 and excess of this will escape through the aperture in 40 d. This excess is returned to the hopper by any suitable means. Upon the movement.

of the member 6 the material will be sheared off or cut by the relative movement between and d, thus forming a flat surface, filling the chamber 0 with .material.

In Figure 4 the member I) is shown as a reciprocating member which may have one or more chambers 0, the member I) when filled being moved, to coincide withy the chamber a in the member evand -the' entrance to the mold g, the member e in this case being stationary and means being provided whereby the mold rams'f are fed to.

" the chamber 0' for pressing into the molds.

Alternatively the member 0 may rotate similarly to that shown in Figure 1, as also the member h. ,'i. The arrangement shown'in' Figure'et of iqfsecuring the complete filling of the chamh 0 ay equally well be applied to other I modifications of the invention.

According to afurther embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in Figure"5, the

'measuring chamber 0, the member h on In this case the,

which the mold g is mounted, and the chamher 0' are stationary and therefore always in register with -one another. In'order to bring the molds and-mold rams into position, they may bemounted upon movable disc or cylindrical members in whichcase the chamber 0 is onlystationary. The hop- 'per a is placed at one side of the member 6 and the chamber 0 communicates therewith by means of a duct or other passage in the member I)- as shown in Figure 6. The material is forced from the hopper through the duct into .the chamber 0,. the correct quantity of material being forcedifrom said chamber 0 by means of the mold ram f which shears the material. from the duct and only presses the correct quantity into the mold. When the mold q is filled another mold is brought into the filling position on the member heither by hand or mechanical means, and the operation is repeated.

According to a further embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 7, the

member 6 is cylindrical in form and the chambers c therein are used for containing r the mold ram f as well as the required quantity of material. This the chamber a in the member 6 is eliminated as well as the member 0 itself. Three chambers 0 are pro- Vided and'the member I) is given three intermittent motions to complete one revolution. Firstly the mold ram f is fed 'by hand or other mechanical means. into the chamber '0. Secondly the member I) is moved to the position in which the chamber 0 containing the ram f coincides with the exit from thehopper a. In this second position the material is forced into the space left in the chamber a which is not occupied by the mold ram f. 'Thirdly, when the material is thus filled into the chamber 2:, the member I) is it intothe fillingposition. In this position given another intermittent motion to bring.

the plunger i located in the interior of the member I) is operated by mechanical or fluid means, or by hand if desired, to force the mold ram and the material into the.

mold g.

Guard members d and (Z' are provided on .the interior and exterior respectively of the member b to keep the mold ram and the material in their respective positions. At the same time "as the material is being fed into the chamber. 0 a further mold ram .7 is fed The plunger 79, as shown in the position A of the mold, is provided with heating means so. that as the mold 9 comes underneath the plunger this 1s lowered so as to heat the mold. Y The plunger p is then re movedv and the-mold is moved on to the position B. In this position it is under the plunger q which is provided with means so that the interior of the mold may be dressed with chalk, collodion or other substance. This substance is fed into the plunger and is ejected therefrom by any suitable known means.

In the position C the moldis brought under the chamber 0 which is filled with material 9". a suitable member I) which may be similar to any of the modifications hereinbefore described. In this position the material is pressed into the mold g by the plunger '1).

In the position-D a plate s of metal, or

other suitable material which it is required to incorporate in the finished article is inserted by means of a plunger t into the mold g.

In the position E a further quantity of material 1" is fed from a chamber 0 by means of a plunger to into the mold g, which will then incorporate the plate 8 into the finished article.

In the position F the mold ram 7 is fed into the mold by means of a plunger 2', the mold ram f being mounted in the member 6 and brought into position by any suitable means.

The final position G shows the mold read for the curin rocess such as bak ing in the case of rubber.

The arrangement shown in Figure 8 may be worked automatically or the operations may be independent of one another. Thus,

if required, various operations can be eX- ecuted by hand while others are worked mechanically. reciprocated by any suitable means situated above them which may be mechanical or a.

fluid under pressure. p

In the modifications described above one hopper has been referred to, but a plurality of hoppers may be used if desired each may be opened or closed by automatic This chamber 0 is mounted on The various plungers are means. Further,'a-vacuum may be applied to the interior of the mold for assisting in the insertion of .the material.

In cases where a large quantity of material is required to fill the molds the. material retained in one or more.chambers may be inserted into the molds before the insertion of the mold ram. Any of-the modifications described hereinbefore may be used to accomplish this.

In the case where the mold rams are inserted after the material has been pressed into the mold by the plungers or ,other means it is not necessary for the mold rams to pass through the measuring chambers c and therefore the chambers need not be made to conform to the exact section of the mold ram.

Any articles such as metal, wood or the like may be inserted and incorporated into.

the material during the process of insertion or after. These articles may be inserted in one or more operations.

The various embodiments shown in the drawing have been more particularly described with reference to the molding of india-rubber but they can be equally well used for papier mach or materials for'mak ing ebonite or for any other viscous, plastic or semi-fluid material.

Itis well known that in-molding operations certain materials, such as rubber for' instance, have to be heated and kept at an approxin'iately constant temperature be worked. In order to provide for this, heating means of any known type may be employed to keep the material at the corrcct temperature during the varlous oper-' plastic material such as rubber and the like,

the combination comprising detachable molding means, measuring means for supplying the material to said molding means, closing means for securing said material within said molding means, and means for simultaneously registering said closing and sothat the material may be plastic enough to measuring means with said molding means,

as set forth.

2. In an apparatus for'filling molds with plastic material such as rubber and the like, the combination comprising detachable molding means, measuring means for supplying the material to said molding means,

closing means for securing said material 130 multaneously registering said closing and measuring means with said molding means, and automatic locking means for retaining said closing means in said molding means,

as set forth.

3. An apparatus for filling molds with plastic material such as rubber and the like comprising in combination, a plurality of detachable molds, a-plurality of measuring chambers, means for causing said molds and chambers to register for filling purposes, a plurality of closing members for securing said material within said molds and means for forcing said closing members through said measuring chambers into said molds, as

set forth.

4. An apparatus for filling molds, dies and the like with viscous, plastic and semi-' ,fiuid materials such as india-rubber, comprising in combination a hopper containing the material, measuring means adapted to be filled from the hopper, detachable molding means, closing means for securing said material within said molding means, means for simultaneously registering the measuring means, the closing means and the molding means, and means for forcingthe measured quantity of said material together withthe closing means into said molding means, as

set forth.

5. An apparatus for filling molds with plastic material such as india-rubber and the like comprising in combination a, hopper, a plurality of movable measuring chambers adapted to be filled from said hopper, a plurality of detachablev molds mounted upon a .movable member, a plurality of closing members for securing said material within said molds, means causing said molds, closing members and measuring chambers to simultaneously register, and means for forcing said material together with said closing members into said molds, as set forth.

6. In an apparatus for filling molds with plastic material such as india rubber' and.

the like, the combination comprising a plurality of detachable molds, a plurality of measuring chambers open at each end, means for shearing off said materialflush with the two ends of said measuring chambers, a plurality of closing members for securmg said material withinsaid molds,

means for causing said molds, closing members and measuring chambers to slmultaneously register, and means for forcing said closing members and said material simultaneously into said molds, as set forth.

7. An apparatus for filling molds with 'plastic material such as india-rubber and the three said members co-acting so that the closing members and material are both forced 1nto said molds in one operat1on,-as set forth.

8. In an apparatus for filling molds with plastic material such as india-rubber and the like, the combination comprising a' plurality of detachable molds, a plurality of measuring chambers rotatably mountedv so as to register with said molds, a plurality of closing members for securing said material within said molds, means tor forcing said closing members through said measuring chambers into said molds, and locking means for retaining said closing members in sald molds, as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed .our 7 names to this specificatlon.

ARTHUR RICHIE KEARNEY.

CHARLES WILLIAM TAYLOR. 

